Shattering Stigma

Hi, my name is Ash and I am proudly Autistic. 

I am one of the lucky ones, I have a workplace who at its very core is a shining example of "health is wealth". My colleagues have been witness to a meltdown and did they flinch away in horror? No, they got around me, grounded me, helped me, treated me no differently. I am even more lucky that I have an amazing group of friends, who ensure I don't fall into the trap of self imposed isolation. We kick the footy, go for dinner or just sit in pure silence staring at a blank wall. They have supported me, explained why my wording in a conversation is possibly not received how I intended it and held me tight mid melt down. Holding a rocking as I was able to bring balance back into my brain, nourished me mentally and physically after an exhausting moment. 

But the biggest luck of the draw? My family. Family are those who in your deepest darkest moments will break sound barriers to get to your aid. My family sat with me during my hospital visits, they were there when I couldn't bear to even look them in the eyes, physically pushed them away, they loved and still love me even after I tried multiple times to hurt them in the worst possible way. Yes, with my inner demons, I have just like millions of people worldwide have tried to take my own life. My family never left, not even when scared for their safety and mine. With everything I have encountered they have been by my side through it all, never wavering in their support and for that I am truly grateful, it's a gift I can never return

The idea is 7 months of mental health, Why 7 months? 1 month for every week I have spent in a mental health facility. A facility where I was able to learn how to deal with the tantrums my brain was throwing as well as courses to understand how to best interact with my mental health and the world. My 7 months will culminate at the end of April with mullets for mental health where the highest personal donation will decide what will happen with my mullet (which is small now but hoping by April it will be lush). I have already had people make suggestions such as a skullet or the reverse mohawk, please someone save me!  

The plan is to tackle at least one new mental health stigma each month, here is the roster. I understand cost of living is high at the moment (a fact not lost on me with the rising cost of medication and Dr visits) so if cost is a factor, why not join in one or two or all of the monthly challenges? Grab a friend or join me personally and together we can shatter the stigma!

OCT - I will be sober for the month of October, addiction is probably the most common mental health companion. Addicted to booze, drugs, gaming, phones we are all addicted to something but for some the addiction is so gripping it can put their lives in danger. While going sober I am hoping that will help me with running 40kms! Did you know 1 in 40 people have Autism in Australia? I am one of them! And my goal is to have just one child who has ASD know they too can live life to the fullest. 

NOV - Bring on men's mental health! Men, it is ok to not be ok! Most of the men in my life that I look up to have sought help for one reason or another. So grow your Mo! I will be catching up with as many of the men in my life as I can with a gym session and chat about how they are, how they really are. In this gym session I will be attempting to lift their body weight. The goal? to let them know if/when they need I/we are there to lift them when they can't. NOV WILL BE STRONK! <- this spelling is 100% correct according to one of my favorite men, would be rude not to include it. 

DEC - A month of Mindfulness. Christmas and New Year is chaos! There are insane expectations, parties, gifting, lots of lights, people, sounds. I'll be taking groups of people at work, sport... anyone really through mindfulness moments to bring calm back in what is for some a chaotic time. These will be things like stretches and just sitting in the moment, to all my Christmas gifts being handmade and hand written letters. Anyone who lives with a mental health companion knows Christmas is one of the happiest but also one of the worst times of the year. Be mindful about those around you, be mindful about you! 

Jan - New year, New experiences. I will be exploring new things each day. A new touch or a new sight or even (this will be hard for my routine rich self) a new way to get home from work. Taking a moment in time to see, feel, smell or do something new can do wonders for the soul, basically mimicking the "grounding technique" commonly used for those with anxiety, ADHD and ASD. Take the challenge to see 5 new things, hear 4 new sounds, touch 3 new textures, smell 2 new scents, taste 1 new food or drink every day. 

FEB - This month is all about that missing day or two. I am fortunate my attempts were not successful but there are people who had their days cut short because their pain was too big for them. When people are depressed or anxious we can miss out on some wonderful things because of the pesky chemicals and pathways in our brains. This is all about pushing my personal boundaries and not saying no! So long as it isn't going to hurt anyone or break any laws I will try my very best to not say no to any idea donors or friends suggest! 

March - March for mental health - This will be highlighting PTSD as I march for 96kms this month with a loaded backpack (19kgs) in an effort to shine a light on those with PTSD. Coming from a family of defence personnel (myself being a previous serving member, pretty cool for those rism with the tism that we can serve) but it's not just for them but for anyone experiencing PTSD. PTSD is uncomfortable and I will need to find some comfy hiking shoes for this one. 

April - Free to be - the final push. The hardest thing sometimes is getting out of bed or even just changing your undies. This month I will be breaking my stringent routine that I have lived in for 15-20 years for now. Because mental health doesn't dictate how I should live. This will culminate with the final step of letting someone else take control of my personal space and deciding what my hair cut will be, do we keep the mully? Do we do back to my skin fade? The highest personal donation will decide. Breaking my own routine is a hard thing to do, I have everything set to the minute...This will get interesting. 

Each month there will be conversations which I'll be sharing on social media and blog posts with people who I have reached out to and who have also reached out to me as they open up about their mental health and the Stigma around their particular diagnosis. But we won't be asking the regular questions like " how does your mental health impact your life" but we will be asking Stigma breaking questions like "if you're autistic why don't you speak like a robot or bash your head on the ground" or "if you have PTSD from a war zone how often do you freakout when a car backfires or fireworks go off" bringing those age old and essentially misleading stigmas and socially recognised norms to the forefront and breaking them... once and for all. 

My goal is ambitious $15k but a few years ago I sought treatment at a private facility and the end bill after 7 weeks was almost $30k add onto the medication, courses (dbt, cbt and so on) the price for help can be huge let alone the wait for the public system. Half of that would be a huge help to the Black Dog Institute, to keep them researching and exploring the ins and outs of mental health and how best we break the stigma of mental health. 

Welcome to my 7 months of shattering the stigma around mental health! We will dive into everything from addiction to mood disorders and everything in between. 

Why join me on my journey to shatter stigma? Essentially, I have Autism and one of the hardest things, that has had me contemplate my own existence, is the Stigma around mental health. I live every day completely independently, have socially "normal" interactions, contribute to my workplace, sporting clubs and community. Do I have bad days? Of course I do, everyone does, I just process those a little bit differently to how others might. 

For me I want to start helping the stigma around mental health being removed and by starting with my core groups I'm hoping that will continue the conversation about "what mental health looks like" to others. Not all people with ASD talk like robots and love trains and rocks, not all people with depression are locked in bed unable to stand the light of a fridge. Together we can break these misconceptions and take mental health off the taboo list and wear it proudly.